The U.S. government on Tuesday ordered a railroad, whose train carrying toxic chemicals recently derailed, to clean up pollution resulting from the crash and take financial responsibility for the operation, threatening to charge “triple” the costs if it does not comply.
On February 3, the derailment in the locality of East Palestine, Ohio, caused a huge fire and the evacuation of hundreds of people. Among other things, the train was carrying vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic and highly flammable chemical used in the manufacture of plastic.
The railway authorities had carried out “controlled” releases of vinyl chloride to avoid an explosion, releasing toxic fumes.
Binding order
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a press release that it had asked the company Norfolk Southern to “clean up contaminated soil and water resources” and to “reimburse the EPA for cleaning services that will be offered to residents and merchants in order to reassure them even more”.
This is a binding order, according to the EPA.
The agency said it would approve a plan detailing “all necessary measures to clean up the environmental damage caused by the derailment”.
“If the company fails to carry out the actions ordered by the EPA, the agency will intervene immediately, do the necessary work and then seek to compel Norfolk Southern to pay triple the cost,” the EPA said.
“Let’s be clear: Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess it has created and the trauma it has inflicted on this population,” said EPA Chief Michael Regan.
Asked by AFP, the company said it recognized having “a responsibility”.
“We have so far paid for the cleanup operations and will continue to do so. We are committed to cleaning the site thoroughly and in a safe manner, and we are in the process of reimbursing residents for the disruption caused to their daily lives,” said Norfolk Southern.
“We will learn from this terrible accident and work with regulators and elected officials to improve rail safety,” she added.
President Joe Biden’s government scrambled to reassure itself after the derailment, as residents expressed anger and concern over the pollution and potential health consequences.
Some have reported to the media having had various symptoms, including headaches, and said they feared ending up with cancer in a few years. About 3,500 fish also died in surrounding waterways, according to the local natural resources agency.
Authorities say the air is ‘safe’ and municipal system water tests found no pollutants, but residents are skeptical and some have already filed complaints against the rail company .